مابعد استشراق میں مسلم شناخت کا بحران: تہذیب سے وابستگی یا صرف تشخص؟

Abstract

In the post-Orientalist era, the Muslim identity is entangled in a complex crisis that goes far beyond cultural dress codes or ethnic symbols. This identity crisis emerges from decades of intellectual subjugation, misrepresentation, and strategic reinterpretation of Islam and Muslims through Orientalist and post-Orientalist academic and media lenses. While early Orientalism sought to define Islam in opposition to the West, post-Orientalism attempts to absorb, neutralize, or reconstruct Muslim identity within Western secular paradigms—often reducing it to a fragmented cultural or political expression.

This paper explores the intricate interplay between identity and civilization in the contemporary Muslim world, questioning whether today's Muslim identification is rooted in the timeless values of Islamic civilization or merely a surface-level reactionary assertion. It analyzes how Muslims, especially the younger generations in both East and West, are being shaped by global narratives, neo-liberal ideologies, and social media constructs that weaken their link with classical Islamic thought and spiritual continuity.

Using Islamic primary sources, the thoughts of key Muslim reformers, and contemporary cultural critique, the article argues that the way forward for Muslim identity is not isolation or mimicry, but a conscious return to a civilizational alignment grounded in revelation, purpose, and prophetic example. The crisis, therefore, is not merely of identity but of existential orientation—whether Muslims choose to represent Islam as a sacred civilization or merely wear it as an abstract, symbolic label under pressure of modernity.